Ex-Trojan Ron Yary gets pass into Rose Hall

PASADENA - When it came to being an offensive lineman, very few ever matched Ron Yary.

That ability was rewarded Sunday.

The former Bellflower High School, USC and Minnesota Vikings star, along with former Michigan quarterback Brian Griese and former Arizona State and Ohio State coach John Cooper were inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the Pasadena Convention Center.

Yary, who had the Bellflower High football stadium named after him in 2001, was a consensus All-American in 1966 and '67, and won the Outland Trophy as the country's top lineman in his senior year. He played in two Rose Bowls, losing to Purdue 14-13 in the 1967 game and beating Indiana 14-3 in 1968.

The Trojans were 24-7-1 in his three years.

Yary, the top pick in the 1968 NFL draft, played 14 years in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987 and to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

"This is not about me, but about my coaches, my friends," Yary said. "For every athlete that has played for USC, the best part was always having an opportunity to play in the Rose Bowl. To earn that opportunity was everything we worked for.

"It really wasn't about any individual honor, it was about team honors. This is the biggest team honor we could have. I had a wonderful life in sports. I always tell people, the only time, the only place where I felt I belonged was on the football field on game day. I was born to be a football player. I had the very best coaches to get the best out of me."

Griese led Michigan to a 12-0 record and the 1997 national title after scoring a 21-16 over Washington State in the 1998 Rose Bowl.

He earned MVP honors, throwing for 251 yards and three touchdowns.

He joins his father, Bob Griese, of Purdue, as the only father and son to be named MVP and Hall of Fame inductees. The elder Griese was inducted in 1992.

Brian Griese also earned his spot for his contribution after football, which includes forming the Judi's House Foundation, which helps grieving children and their families by offering counseling and peer support. Griese's mother, Judi, died of cancer when he was 12.

"I'm so honored to be up with (Ron Yary and John Cooper)," Griese said. "I'm a humbled representative of a team in 1997 that was a defensive-minded team, so I'm a representative for five other guys (Rob Swett, Zach Adami, Glen Steele, Ben Huff and Scot Loeffler) who were also fifth-year seniors that season. I told each one of them, except for Ben Huff, who has passed away, that this honor was for them as much as it was me.

"To be the first father and son combo to go into this Hall of Fame is special for me as well. My dad is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame, the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame. He's in everything. This is all I've got. But it's special."

Cooper was the first coach to lead both a Pac-10 champion and a Big Ten champion to Rose Bowl wins, leading Arizona State over Michigan in 1987 and Ohio State over Arizona State in 1997. He also was an assistant coach for UCLA when the Bruins upset No. 1 Michigan State in 1966.

"It's great to go in with two great football players," said Cooper, who was 136-52-6 in stints at Arizona State and Ohio State. "It's an individual honor, but I'm up here because of some great assistant coaches and some great football players. Woody Hayes once said that you win with people, and that's so true. I was blessed to have great players.

"This is a great honor for me. I've coached in more stadiums than anyone who has ever coached. The Rose Bowl is not the biggest stadium, it's not the loudest, but it's the most beautiful stadium in college football."